Hiking and Yoga Retreat - Suryalila, Andalusia

A hiking and yoga retreat at Suryalila Retreat Centre in Villamartín, Andalusia, led by Lidiya Petkova. It suits people who want yoga and walking in the same week: practice that turns attention inward, and hikes that take you out into the landscape of southern Spain. The retreat runs for six days and is all-inclusive.

What to Expect

The retreat pairs two things that complement each other. The yoga practices are meant to guide you deeply inward. The hikes are designed to inspire you and bring you into close contact with nature. Together they give the week a rhythm of turning inward and then moving outward, with the body and the surroundings doing much of the teaching.

This is a guided retreat with a set schedule, so you do not need to plan your days or choose between options. You arrive, settle in, and follow the shape of the week with the group. Because the retreat is all-inclusive, the practical side is looked after and your attention can stay on the practice and the walking.

Part of what you pay goes to a good cause. Suryalila contributes 10% of profits from this retreat to charitable organisations, which the centre calls Giving Back Together.

About Lidiya Petkova

Lidiya Petkova is a yoga teacher who leads some of Suryalila's outdoor-focused retreats. Besides this Hiking and Yoga Retreat, she teaches the centre's Adventure and Yoga Retreat, which pairs daily energising and restorative yoga with outdoor adventures. She also co-leads the Escape Christmas Retreat with Vidya Heisel. Her teaching at Suryalila consistently brings yoga and time in nature together, and this retreat is a clear example of that approach.

The Setting

The retreat takes place at Suryalila Retreat Centre in Villamartín, in the Andalusia region of Spain. Suryalila hosts yoga retreats, guest-led retreats and teacher trainings throughout the year, and it also offers a self-designed stay with daily yoga, organic vegetarian meals, holistic treatments and time to rest. The hikes on this retreat start from this part of Andalusia, so the landscape is part of the experience from the first day.

Before You Go

The retreat is all-inclusive and lasts six days. Because it includes hiking as well as yoga, it helps to be comfortable with walking outdoors for extended periods and to bring suitable footwear and clothing for being outside. If you have questions about fitness level, the pace of the hikes, travel to Villamartín or what the all-inclusive price covers, the centre is the best source for those specifics, and it can tell you what to expect before you decide.

If you are looking for a yoga retreat in Andalusia that gets you outdoors as well as onto the mat, with a teacher who works at the meeting point of the two, this one is built for that.